Rising independence: 78% of them wish to enter management level in their jobs

Chinese women's aspiration for independence and realization of self-value, together with their sound educational status and emotional intelligence, makes them active and pivotal participants in the workplace.

Chinese women's labor force participation rate is currently 63.3 percent, higher than the 57 percent average women's participation rate among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries as well as the 62 percent average among Asia-Pacific countries and regions, the People's Daily reported on Thursday's International Women's Day, citing a report jointly released by Lean In China and consulting firm Deloitte.

Compared with women in every other country and region around the world, the report also said that Chinese women contribute the most to their country's GDP, with the figure standing at 41 percent.

"Moms have to be the model for their children. My son is only four years old, and I want to show him what I want him to be in the future, that's why I want to have my own business instead of accompanying him at home," said a Beijing-based businesswoman named Qi Feng, CEO of FM Aviation Technology.

Qi started her business in the aviation industry three years ago. She told the Global Times on Thursday that, as a woman, it's also important to disregard gender stereotypes and that women should focus more on chasing their dreams and entrepreneurship capabilities.

"Women also have advantages during the process. Men may not appreciate you in the beginning in a men-dominated industry like aviation, but with the deepening of communication, they will respect women's opinions even more. So I think this is the best era for women to work," she said.

Qi is not the only woman who thinks highly of working outside the home. Another woman named Zhang Can in Shijiazhuang, capital of North China's Hebei Province, told the Global Times on Thursday that, though her husband is a senior executive of a public company and earns a lot, she also works hard by commuting half an hour to work every day.

Romy Haryanto, a 32-year-old Indonesian man who hopes to find a job in China, told the Global Times that he wants to marry someone from the Chinese mainland or Hong Kong because he assumes "women in Hong Kong are as independent as women on the mainland."

According to a report Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing sent to the Global Times on Thursday, nearly 2.3 million women drivers and car owners in China drive for the company, approximately 80 percent of whom are mothers of one or two children aged under 18 years old, including single moms.

Independence drive

As for the reason why so many women are involved in the labor workforce in China, a Global Times survey showed that Chinese women long for independence.

Chinese women have a strong sense of independence, for which economic independence is the basis. Hence, most Chinese women have jobs, with some faring better than men in many sectors.

Meanwhile, Chinese career women perform better in terms of emotional intelligence and horizon, with 78 percent of those women wishing to enter the management level of their company or institution, the report from Lean In China and Deloitte showed.

"The more a company's digitization is, the more likely women can devote more time and energy," it noted.

However, when it comes to promotion, women face harsher challenges than men, which are brought about by imbalances between work and life. As such, the report calls on companies to create more job roles and promotions that specifically fit women's career development characteristics.

Data from Beijing-based consulting firm Grant Thornton also showed that the number of women in senior executive roles in emerging economies is on the rise, with the ratio of women senior executives in the Asia-Pacific region standing at 23 percent.

It's also worth noting that the ratio of women deputies at the ongoing 13th National People's Congress reached a record high of 24.9 percent of a total 742 deputy seats, 1.5 percentage points higher compared to the figure recorded at the 12th NPC.